Fastening device



, M. J. KEEVERS,

- I FASTENING DEVICE.

APPLICATION men 2 1,377,253. I I Patentd May 10,1921.

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FASTENING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 10, 1921.

Application filed April 26, 1919. Serial No. 292,955.

To all y/10m if may concern:

Beit known that I. Marriinw J. Knnvnns, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Northampton, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastening Devices. of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in detachable fastening devices. The invention. while capable of general application, finds one advantageous use as a means for detachably connecting buckles to a suitable support.

Commonly. many and varied fancy ornaments or buckles are now worn on pumps and like fancy slippers. Frequently, the removal of these ornaments is necessary, as for example. when overshoes and gaiters are worn, for the buckle interferes with the use of either. Quite often, it is desired to use the same ornaments with several pairs of pumps or various ornaments with the same pair of pumps. The provision of means whereby the ornament may be readily detached from the pump. or a supporting member attached to the pump. thus becomes important. v

This invention has for its object to provide a supporting member arranged for ready and convenient attachment to an article to be supported, such for example as a buckle. although obviously the article to be supported may take various other forms.

Another object is to provide a supporting member having two spaced fingers thereon which may engage on one'side of the article to be supported while the other side is engaged by the body of the supporting member.

According to another object of the invention. the spaced fingers are preferably integral with the supporting member and of spring metal and arranged with their free ends on opposite sides of the center of the supporting member. so that the latter may be laid against one side of the article to be supported and upon a slight relative twist such ends may be engaged simultaneously on the other side of the article and thereby connected.

According to another object of the invention, means are provided to lock the article and supporting member against relative t-wistmg movement to prevent accidental disconnection of the two.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following description and in the illustrative embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of a buckle supporting member embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a like view of a buckle to be connected to said member;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the buckle in place on apump;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevational view showing the assembled buckle and supportmg member in place on a pump;

Figs. 5 and 6 are rear elevational views showing the manner of connecting the two;

Fig. 7 1s a top plan view of the supporting member:

Fig. 8 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6; and I Fig. 9 is a like view taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings. the supporting member is indicated generally by reference numeral 10. The member 10 may be provided with any suitable means for attachment in any way to another member.for example, as illustrated. it'may be provided with one or more pairs of clips 11 between which the vamp r of a pump 2 may be received to removably connect the member and pump. Many other means of connecting the member 10 to the pump 7) or to any other device will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

The present invention is particularly concerned with means for detachably connectmg the member to an article to be supported. The buckle b (Fig. 2) will serve as an illustrative example of one sucharticle although obviously many other articles may be as readily connected to the member 10. The only requirement is that the article to be supported be provided with ashank like portion, such for example as the bar 0, shown in Fig.2 as attached to the rear face of the buckle and slightly spaced therefrom except for its ends, by which it is supported from the buckle.

The supporting member 10 is preferably made up from thin metal and is provided with two spaced fingers 12, which are preferably formed integrally with the body of member 10 bystriking them out therefrom with a suitable die. These fingers 12, which are preferably of spring metal, are slightly curved longitudinally, as shown, substantially from the center of that part of the body of member 10 which lies between the fingers. Extending generally at right angles to the fingers 12 and therebetween is a channel 13 which has a cross sectional shape such as to snugly receive the bar 0, as shown in Fig. 8. This channel 13 also extends be low the lower finger 12 a sufficient distance to receive the lower end of bar 0. Above the upper finger 12, the metal is cut awa centrally to leave a recess 14.

Since the body is slit for a substantial distance on each side of recess 14 in forming the upper finger 12, .the portions 15 on each side of the recess will also have some spring. The ends of the portions 15 are turned outwardly, as at 16, in the direction of the side walls of channel 18 and virtually form continuations thereof to abut the side edges of bar a, as shown in Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 7, the member 10 is curved in cross-section to approximate the curvature of the buckle and to permit the member to be twisted in a manner later to be described, without interference with the buckle. Preferably, the fingers 12 are similarly curved to lie flush with the member 10 except for their free ends which are bent away, as at 17, from the member in a direction opposite to that in which the ends of portions 16 are bent. By

so'bending the'ends of fingers 12 convergent entrances are formed which readily receive the bar 0' and permit it to be readil inserted between the fingers and the mem er 10.

The sides of the channel 13 and the outturned. portions 16, adjacent the recesses 14 abut the side edges of the bar 0 and serve as shoulders above and below each fin er between which the cross-bar is adapte to be received and by which it is held from twisting.

In order to connect the member 12 to member 10 the bar 0 is laid flat against the member 10 and dia onally of the'idepression' or channel 13, so t at one edge of bar 0 lies adjacent the free end of one finger l2 and the opposite edge adjacent the free end of the other finger. Then the members I) and 10 are given a relative twist in such a direction as to cause said opposite edges of bar 0 to enter into the described convergent entrances and'between the fingers 12 and member 10. On continued relative twisting movement, bar a will aline with channel 13 and will be forced therein by the spring action of fingers 12, which effectually hold the bar 0 lodged in the channel. To'insure against accidental dislodgment of the bar 0 from the channel 13, the fingers 15'are provided, the ends of which abut opposite edges of bar 0 and prevent it from twisting'relatively to member 10. To disconnect the members I) and 10, one finger 15 is depressed to permit the bar 0 to be twisted relatively to member 10 and upon such twisting, the bar 0 is caused to ride up out of channel 13, and on continued twisting the bar 0 rides from in under fingers 12 and may be removed.

The invention has been disclosed herein, in an embodiment at present preferred, for

illustrative purposes, but the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.

What I claim is A device for detachably supporting orna-' ments having a cross-bar from pumps or the like comprising, a member having a part for attachment to the pump and a generally upstanding body portion for connection to the ornament, a finger connected to the body portion near one ed e thereof and extending transversel of .suc portion with its free end forme to permit entrance of the cross bar of the ornament between the finger and said body portion, and pairs of shoulders provided on the latter above and below said finger between which said cross bar is received' and held from twisting relatively to the body portion.

'rrnnw J. KEEVERS. 

